ESTABLISHED MOTION PICTURE STARS, 1980-1990
By the 1980's, certain African-American names on a movie marquee could definitely identify them as "stars" of the movie business. Casting a well-known movie idol in a comedy, serious drama, musical, or film based upon history could, in most cases, help finance the end product at the box office. Hollywood wanted to embrace these "stars," and the independent movie makers wanted to do the same. Later on the television producers reached out to these stars in the making of full length motion pictures just for television or the buying of the rights to show previously released motion pictures featuring these actors. Names like: Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Louis Gossett Jr., Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Billy Dee Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, and Samuel L. Jackson were chief calling cards as stars of the silver screen. Will Smith could be added to this list, but he came later on into the 1990's.
These African-American motion picture stars have an appeal to both black and white moviegoers. Their endorsed star quality has allowed them to play crossover roles along side white actors and also in movies involved mainly with black themes.
Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing (1989):
THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN'S PLACE: 1990 TO DATE
By 1992, the market for African-Americans in the motion picture industry had been well established. Moviegoers selected the movies they enjoyed seeing along with watching their favorite movie idols. The representation of the movies appearing at the multiplex cinemas could now offer a wide selection of films and, the ticket holders were determining which ones to see. Advertisements and the critics could determine, partially, the success of the movie at the box office, but, most times, the moviegoers made the movie a hit, especially a financial one. Some of the box office hit movies were:
Spike Lee's 1989 movie, Do the Right Thing, was at first thought to be a racially reactionary film aimed at the psyche of both black and white viewers. It proved just the contrary. The movie was a success due to the untouched topics of racial situations, ethnic tensions, and human encounters of anger. The superb cast of both black and white actors made the motion picture industry aware of a newer avenue for films and race relations. Danny Aiello, as Sal, the pizzeria store owner, won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and Spike Lee was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Reginald Hudlin, as an up and coming African-American movie director, produced the movie, House Party, in 1990 with a budget of 2.5 million. The movie grossed 25 million. The crossover appeal to both black and white youth, along with the talents of the late Robin Harris, Christopher Reid, Tisha Campbell, and Martin Lawrence, made this movie a huge success.
Mario Van Peebles, the son of Melvin Van Peebles and a Columbia University graduate, produced New Jack City in 1991. Seeing on the screen a new wave of violence dealing with the drug, crack, and the outcome, including a look at Gangsta Rap earned this 8.5 million budgeted movie a big 44 million gross. Wesley Snipes, Queen Latifah, Ice-T, and Vanessa Williams were some of the actors in the film.
John Singleton, a graduate of the University of Southern California, took his talents and produced Boyz n the Hood in 1991 with Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, and Tyra Banks. The hard truths of issues dealing with guns and violence in this setting were so compelling that black and white youth wanted to see this film to "be in the know." John Singleton won an Oscar nomination as Best Director (the first time in this category for an African-American). His next film, Poetic Justice in 1993, did not do as well at the box office, but it brought to the screen Janet Jackson and the rap idol, Tupac Shakur, along with Regina King and Joe Torry as the star performers.
Set It Off (1996)-
From Left to Right: Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, and Gabrielle Union: Three Black actresses that have been active since the 90's but have yet to crossover into the realm of mainstream Hollywood:
Tyler Perry (born September 13, 1969) is an American actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and author.[1] Already a successful artist in Southern theatre, Perry began to make national celebrity status in 2005 with the release of his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. In 2009, Perry was ranked by Forbes magazine as the sixth highest paid man in Hollywood.[2] As of July 2009[update], Perry's films had grossed nearly $400 million worldwide.[3]
Contemporary Black Hollywood: 1980-Present
ESTABLISHED MOTION PICTURE STARS, 1980-1990
By the 1980's, certain African-American names on a movie marquee could definitely identify them as "stars" of the movie business. Casting a well-known movie idol in a comedy, serious drama, musical, or film based upon history could, in most cases, help finance the end product at the box office. Hollywood wanted to embrace these "stars," and the independent movie makers wanted to do the same. Later on the television producers reached out to these stars in the making of full length motion pictures just for television or the buying of the rights to show previously released motion pictures featuring these actors. Names like: Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Louis Gossett Jr., Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Billy Dee Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, and Samuel L. Jackson were chief calling cards as stars of the silver screen. Will Smith could be added to this list, but he came later on into the 1990's.
These African-American motion picture stars have an appeal to both black and white moviegoers. Their endorsed star quality has allowed them to play crossover roles along side white actors and also in movies involved mainly with black themes.
Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing (1989):
THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN'S PLACE: 1990 TO DATE
By 1992, the market for African-Americans in the motion picture industry had been well established. Moviegoers selected the movies they enjoyed seeing along with watching their favorite movie idols. The representation of the movies appearing at the multiplex cinemas could now offer a wide selection of films and, the ticket holders were determining which ones to see. Advertisements and the critics could determine, partially, the success of the movie at the box office, but, most times, the moviegoers made the movie a hit, especially a financial one. Some of the box office hit movies were:
Set It Off (1996)-
From Left to Right: Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, and Gabrielle Union: Three Black actresses that have been active since the 90's but have yet to crossover into the realm of mainstream Hollywood:
.
Black Male Actors Through The Years:
The Emergence of the Tyler Perry Entity:
Tyler Perry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, searchSeptember 13, 1969 (1969-09-13) (age 40)
New Orleans, Louisiana,
United States
Film roles
[edit] Television work